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Excrutiating pain after total ceramic hip replacement

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chris.b
chris.b

I had a ceramic total hip replacement 6weeks ago and I'm in agony. I'm 40 yeats old and had avascular necrosis of the rigjt hip.I had a titanium disc replacement 6 years ago in my lower back so I was aware going into surgery it would not be easy. However, when the epidural wore off after the hip repkacement I was in agony, in fact I was in tears and did not sleep a wink until after 5 days when sheer exhaustion set in I have pain in my groin when I move my leg it feeks like it's grating on something.I also have pain down to my knee including my knee. My lower back again is in agony also my right buttock feels like it's being pinched all the time all the way down the back of my leg which I guess is sciatica. I saw the surgeon who preformed the hip replacement today, he says all my pain is coming from my back. What I can't umderstand is why am I in more pain after the op then before. My surgeon was very unhelpful saying I need refered on for my back by my G.P. Has anyone else had excrutiating pain after a total hip replacement. I can't believe the surgeon dismissed my pain and said the hip is fine when the horrendous pain im in only started after the operation. Like I say I'm looking for people with similar situation or knowledge and advice.

18 likes, 376 replies

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  • Geship000
    Geship000

    Posted

    Like yourself, had double hip replacement 2wks ago. Main issue is sleeping at night on your back, for me very difficult. Cannot say have had significant pain issues, yes sore muscles, tender to touch, swollen thighs, calfskin, ankles. Yes some nerve involvement as right thigh seems numb but getting better. Taking pain meds day/night. I do have moderate pain/discomfort down to my knees & buttocks but not unbearable. Walking with crutches etc.

    What I would say to you is that I don't think you should be in more discomfort post op than you were pre op.

    Clearly something does not add up, so persist & shout loud so that your taken seriously & get this addressed sooner rather than later.

    Unfortunately with the NHS these days those who shout loudest get noticed & dealt with quickest. Go to the

    general manager of the hospital, or service manager, tell them you need this sorted.

    Don't give up, keep pestering them.

    Sorry this has turned out this way for you.

  • chris.b
    chris.b

    Posted

    Thankyou for your sound advice.Deep down I know something has gone drasticaly wrong,but its nice to have it confirmed by someone else. That's also why I went too see my GP who agreed that something was wrong so he reffered me back to the surgeon.

    The surgeon today had my hip xrayed.He then said my implant was inch perfect so my hip cant possibly be hurting and I quote 'because I dont make mistakes. He went on to day it must be your back you need that sorted. I had a milion questions for him but he said look ive told you its your back and ealked out.

    So although I find your advice sound I feel if I push it further it will just serve to antagonise him.

    Good news is ive spoken to my GP who has refered me on to a back specialist at a different hospital. I find it hard to see how the hip replacement hasn't played a part tho. Again how can I be in more pain post op compared to pre op and I mean excrutiating pain not just in my back but also my hip and groin.

    Does anyone know how my back could be affecting my groin rspecialy following a hip teplacement when the problem wasnt there before and pain came on immediately after op.

    I understand a lot of my pain is sciatica nerve pain .again does anyone know if a hip replacement can cause nerve damage. And where do I go from here.Thankyou again for all replies.

    • julia1968
      julia1968 chris.b

      Posted

      It wasn't Mr Maxwell was it? He made my leg nearly inch shorter & now I'm too having trouble in back and other hip!!

       

    • KWade82
      KWade82 chris.b

      Posted

      Get a different opinion from a different hip surgeon!!
    • ginger47520
      ginger47520 chris.b

      Posted

      Chris the position they put u in during surgery can cause pain the back.Three years ago I had six spinal fusions with six laminectoies my spelling is off.plus I had two holes in my spinal column from epidurals. B/ci couldn't sit on both of my bottom b/c pain I developed scoliosis.That had to be repaired. So to hold my spine together with screws and bars. 

      Since my THR I have had pain on the left side.

      But that pain is much different then the pain after the THR. With groin pain and shooting pain down the front of the thigh. I believe they are different issues. Sometimes they put in a hip that the head is too large for the socket. Or the muscles glide over the prosthetic.As well scare tissue .hopefully thing will go better for usmile

    • TheRainione
      TheRainione chris.b

      Posted

      My hip replacement is 12 years old, but I am suddenly having excruciating pain. My thigh, from my hip to my knee is numb. My Ortho had sent me to a University Hospital to have the hip replaced instead of doing it himself. I had almost no socket, and the ball to the femur had collapsed, and that had been missed for a year! If you know something is wrong, it is best to see someone else. When my current surgeon saw my Xray, his response was literally " Oh my God"! Then he said people dont walk on broken hips, that was why they had missed it.   So I am back to having pain, and hoping it won't take a year of having that dismissed to fix the problem. Because of the numbness, I think mine is partially nerves as well.
    • TheRainione
      TheRainione julia1968

      Posted

      That is not considered a mistake with hip replacements. In fact you usually have to fill sign a release that mentions the leg length issue. I had a 3/4 inch leg length difference before my first hip replacement. When my first hip was done, that was fixed, and the short leg was even slightly longer. When I had my second hip done, I had a leg length difference again. I wear a life on my shoe again.. I was 5 ft 4, now I'm five foot 7.
    • steph60123
      steph60123 chris.b

      Posted

      Its most probably referred pain, which will go. The nerve path from your hip, which is trying to repair muscle etc, will be referred to other pathway of nerves, but it will repair.  
    • Poppy911
      Poppy911 julia1968

      Posted

      Hi Julia.  Just wondering if you still look at your posts.  I had a Mr Maxwell who works at the Oaklands in Salford. Manchester.  It is a private but they do NH as well.  I am wondering if it is the same surgeon.  He has messed up big time with my hip replacement.  Cannot work anymore due to pain.  The Surgeon says it is not his fault.  So fed up, please get back to me    Sue X
    • greg87593
      greg87593 Poppy911

      Posted

      hi, sue

      i see your having problems,i have the same surgen would love to chat, i cannot walk ? thanks g

    • Poppy911
      Poppy911 greg87593

      Posted

      Hi Greg  I still have great problems with my hip.  Is it Mr Maxwell at the Oaklands in Salford who you see? Yes I would love to chat to you. I would prefer to private message you if that is possible or email you.

      regards Sue

    • greg87593
      greg87593 Poppy911

      Posted

      hi poppy,

      sounds good,i would prefer to private message too ,or email you how do you do it ,if not i will send you my e mail 

      thanks g

    • loni15321
      loni15321 chris.b

      Posted

      I love Chris B I've been doing a lot of research for my son and I have seen many instances where if you have groin pain it points to a certain problem with the hip replacement so if you just Google that you should be able to find some helpful articles to help you guide the doctors

  • possum
    possum

    Posted

    Dear Chris, I am so sorry to hear of your experience. How depressing for you. First off, I hope that have been given appropriate pain relief by your GP so that the pain is managed before it is sorted out. The response of your surgeon is unacceptable but this field of work does attract a certain of person who can be extremely arrogant and think that they are always right. Clearly he is one of them. One possibility is to contact PALS (patient liaison) at the hospital (will be on website) and register your unhappiness. Yes, you don't want to antogonise him, but would you want him to operate on you again? No. I had both my hips replaced 4 years ago and was told that one of the risks was nerve damage to the sciatic nerve. I am suspicious of the grinding feeling and the groin pain you mention (indicating a hip issue to me) - will the back specialist have access to the hip x-rays? Can you request access to them? Also, do you know of a website called Dr Foster where doctors are rated - have a look to see what is said about your surgeon. Finally, I would suggest always taking another person with you to these appointments and taking a notebook with questions and for you to write down the replies. I remember having a follow up appointment after surgery where a young doctor (not my surgeon) ignored a specific question I asked. I'm a stubborn wotsit and asked him three times before he responded to the perfectly reasonable question.

    I sincerely hope that this can be resolved without surgery. If not, I can recommend the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham where I had my surgery (Dr Andrew Pearson - excellent, but they are all good). You can choose where you are treated. They also use a private hospital for NHS work - had my second hip done there. Hope it doesn't come to this for you but you need to have it resolved so you can resume your life - you are very young. I had bad back pain until my hip surgery, it disappeared after that.

    To anyone else who is awaiting surgery and is worried reading this , for me, it was the best thing I ever did. I can walk, run and am pain-free. Chris has been very unlucky. Please keep us posted on your progress Chris.

    • TheRainione
      TheRainione possum

      Posted

      Even the best Drs have bad days. I work in healthcare, and I have seen that more often than I'd like. I had nearly no socket because of a birth defect, and had a hip that had been broken for a year. My Dr, who I knew from working at the same hospital, said that I needed a custom hip. He sent me to Loyola Medical Center, one of Chicago's best hospitals. The day I was operated on, I was brought to pre op at 8 am. I wasn't brought into surgery, until 4 pm. My surgeon had been called to 2 emergencies. My surgery went very well. I was back to work in a month... But! I had discomfort, if I slept on the side where the replacement was. Every ortho afterword,who saw the Xrays, said ' There are wires there "?  I've since seen that in Xrays of custom hips.. but, when the surgeon twisted the ends of the wires, they bent then down. Mine poke straight out like barbs. Now that I'm older, my back hurts from always laying on the other side, and if I do fall asleep on the side with the wires, I am in extreme pain.
    • alison94550
      alison94550 possum

      Posted

      I have just read your reply to chris, could I please ask how are you doing now, i am going to have both hips done due to  osteoarthritis and no hip sockets , the right one in 2 weeks and then later the left, I would really like to know how you are now . The pain I amj in now is not something I can carry on with so I need the ioperation it is at the stage I cannot bend down and have been on 2 crutches the last year which has been so hard while working,

      thanks 

      Alison

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